Alleged York 'predator' captured out of state with runaway

An alleged York "predator" on the run from police since last summer for allegedly assaulting two underage girlfriends has been captured in North Carolina, where he went with a 17-year-old Las Vegas-area runaway.

Goldsboro Police arrested 24-year-old Timothy Hannah Jr. on Monday, according to Maj. Anthony Carmon, who said Hannah remains in custody awaiting extradition to York County.

"I'm glad that he's in custody. I'm glad that his running around the country and preying on teenage females is done," the chief said.

Caldwell said he doesn't know why Hannah targets underage girls, but he said one thing is certain: Hannah does not have the girls' best interests at heart.

"Because he's a predator, he doesn't care what's going on with these kids," the chief said. "We don't look at ourselves the way a predator would look at us. So these kids see some innocent guy who's paying attention to them and not as the predator he really is."

Scared, exhausted: Jenny Baker, mother of 17-year-old Krista Bailey, of the Las Vegas, Nevada, area, said she received a call from officials in Goldsboro about noon her time Monday.

"I am just beyond words," Baker said — filled with relief and gratitude.

"I was terrified that I was going to get a call telling me the worst," she said.

Police let Baker speak to Krista over the phone, and the teen apologized for running away.

"She seemed in good spirits, but really exhausted," Baker said. "She said, 'Mommy, just please come get me. I'm scared and I just want to come home.'"

On the road: The relieved mother was speaking from the road. She said Tuesday that she and her family were driving to Goldsboro to retrieve the wayward teen.

Baker said she's grateful to Goldsboro Police for finding her daughter and for treating the teen with care and compassion. She said she's also grateful to whoever tipped off police to Hannah's whereabouts and to the people on social media who shared the story.

"I would never have thought to look for her in North Carolina," Baker said.

During Baker's phone call with her daughter, she asked about Hannah, but Krista didn't want to talk about him. She met the man on the internet, according to her family.

"I think he specifically looks for girls who maybe have self-esteem issues," Baker said. "Then he fills their heads full of everything they want to hear."

Hiding under crib: Goldsboro Sgt. Jeff Beeken said his department received a tip that Hannah was a fugitive who was staying with a family member in Goldsboro.

The family member cooperated with police and allowed them to search her home without a warrant, he said.

Officers found Hannah hiding under a baby crib that was empty at the time, according to Beeken.

"There was no way he could run," Beeken said, because he was surrounded by officers.

Background: On Sept. 26, Hannah pretended to be a student to get inside Eastern York High School, where he met up with an underage girlfriend in a girl's lavatory and assaulted her, according to Lower Windsor Township Police.

Police said he choked the student, who later told officers she'd agreed to meet with him but was afraid he would hurt her, according to charging documents.

Hannah fled the school, resisted arrest by township police in the school parking lot, then fled on foot, documents state.

In that case, he's facing charges of aggravated assault, resisting arrest, criminal trespass and flight to avoid apprehension, according to court records.

By the time of that alleged assault, Hannah had already been on the run from York City Police for months.

Second assault case: Police in early June filed charges against Hannah of simple assault, false imprisonment, making terroristic threats and harassment. Charging documents allege Hannah read the diary of a different underage girlfriend on June 1 and became jealous and angry.

While reading her diary aloud, Hannah punched the 16-year-old girl and struck her on both sides of her head with an extension cord, documents allege. Police said the assault lasted about an hour, at which point the girl grabbed for her phone to call 911.

That's when Hannah put the girl's phone in his pocket and told her he would knock out her teeth and kill her if she tried to leave or called police, charging documents state. He would not let her leave their home for the rest of the night, police said.

The girl fled to safety the next morning when her father showed up to drop off some things and Hannah allowed her to go outside to help unload the items, according to police. Instead, she got in her father's vehicle and they drove away.

Other pending cases: Hannah also was on the run for other alleged crimes in York County, two of which allegedly involved underage girls.

He fled on foot from a vehicle stop in York City on May 12 — leaving behind a "juvenile female passenger," according to court documents that state he was wanted at the time on charges of possession of drug paraphernalia and access device fraud. He was driving with a suspended license, his car had no insurance and wasn't registered, and the registration he was using was for a different vehicle, according to police.

Timothy Hannah Jr.(Photo: Submitted)

Hannah fled from York City Police again Aug. 6, after officers found him with an underage girl in a condemned city home, charging documents state.

In that case, officers were called to 150 W. King St. for a trespassing report. The property was condemned and declared uninhabitable by city officials after a fire there, police said.

Officers found a teenage runaway in a third-floor bedroom, then found Hannah hiding in a closet in the same bedroom, documents state. Hannah fled on foot and got away, police said.

He has lived in the first block of South West Street, the 300 block of West King Street and the 200 block of Carlisle Avenue, according to court records.

— Reach Liz Evans Scolforo at levans@yorkdispatch.com or on Twitter at @LizScolforoYD.